First United Methodist Church of Nacogdoches
Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County, Texas
Marker Inscription
At least one Methodist sermon was preached in Nacogdoches before 1821, according to tradition. After religious freedom was established by the Republic of Texas, missionary Littleton Fowler (1803-1846) preached here on Oct. 16, 1837, and soon founded this church. This was the first Protestant congregation organized in Nacogdoches after the Texas War for Independence. It began as an 18-member "Methodist Society." Volunteering for service in Texas, the Rev. Samuel A. Williams came here from Tennessee in 1838 as the first pastor. By 1850, the Methodists were known as the most active Protestants in the town; by 1860 there had been 12 or more successive pastors. After meeting in homes and other places, this congregation built a church across the street from this site in 1860. a larger frame church, built in 1887 on this site, was lost in a fire in 1907. A brick building was erected in 1910. In 1925 this congregation participated in the founding of Perritte Memorial Methodist Church, on the west side of the city. In 1929 it helped establish a bible chair at Stephen F. Austin State Teachers' College (later a state university). The present church building was completed in 1969.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Once the Republic of Texas guaranteed religious freedom, the missionary Littleton Fowler preached in Nacogdoches in October 1837 and soon gathered an eighteen-member "Methodist Society" — the first Protestant congregation organized in the town after Texas independence. Led by a succession of pastors, the Methodists became the town's most active Protestants by 1850 and built their first church in 1860. Later buildings burned and were rebuilt, and the congregation helped found a college bible chair and a sister church before completing its present home in 1969.
Why it matters
This congregation marks the opening of Protestant worship in a former Catholic Mexican province, a small but telling sign of how independence reshaped the religious life of Texas.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
Nacogdoches is one of the oldest towns in Texas. It grew up in the late 1700s as a Spanish outpost in the piney woods of East Texas, near the border with Louisiana. For decades under Spain and then Mexico, Catholicism was the official religion, and Protestant worship had no legal standing. Protestant settlers who came into Texas generally had to accept that, at least on paper.
According to local tradition, at least one Methodist sermon was preached in Nacogdoches before 1821, while Texas was still Spanish. If so, it was a quiet act on the edge of the law, in a frontier town where Anglo-American newcomers were arriving in growing numbers.
Everything changed with the Texas Revolution of 1835-1836. The new Republic of Texas guaranteed religious freedom, and Protestant denominations in the United States saw a mission field open almost overnight. Nacogdoches, the gateway for many settlers coming from the east, was one of the first places they reached.
People & events
On October 16, 1837, a Methodist missionary named Littleton Fowler preached in Nacogdoches. Fowler (1803-1846) had come to Texas to help plant his church in the new republic, and here he soon organized a Methodist Society of eighteen members. It was the first Protestant congregation organized in Nacogdoches after the war for independence.
The next year, 1838, the Rev. Samuel A. Williams arrived from Tennessee. He had volunteered for service in Texas, and he became the congregation's first pastor. Methodist preachers moved often in those days, and by 1860 the church had seen a dozen or more pastors come and go. Even so, the congregation held together and grew. By 1850 the Methodists were known as the most active Protestants in town.
For its first two decades the church met in homes and wherever else it could. It built its first church across the street in 1860. A larger frame church went up on the present site in 1887 and burned in 1907, and a brick building followed in 1910. In the 1900s the congregation also reached outward. It helped found Perritte Memorial Methodist Church on the city's west side in 1925, and in 1929 it helped establish a Bible chair at Stephen F. Austin State Teachers' College. The present church was completed in 1969.
Its place in the American story
This congregation marks a turning point in the religious life of Texas. A region that had been officially Catholic under Spain and Mexico became, within a generation of independence, home to thriving Protestant churches. Their growth tracked the flood of American settlers into Texas in the years before and after it joined the United States in 1845.
The story also shows how American Methodism grew. The denomination sent missionaries and volunteer preachers to the frontier, organized believers into small societies, and moved pastors from place to place. That system let Methodism grow quickly with a young, restless nation.
The church's role in founding a Bible chair at the local college reflects another national pattern. Across the country, congregations helped shape education and public life beyond their own walls.
If you visit
Nacogdoches rewards an unhurried visit. Its old downtown has brick streets and historic buildings, and the town takes real pride in its long past. The church stands on the site of its 1887 building. Its first church stood across the street, so as you look around, you are standing in the neighborhood where this congregation put down its roots.
The present building dates from 1969, but the story is much older. Picture eighteen people gathering in a private home in the late 1830s, in a town where Protestant worship had only just become legal. That contrast is the heart of this marker.
Stephen F. Austin State University, the school this congregation once helped with its Bible chair, is nearby, and the town has many other markers from its Spanish, Mexican and Republic eras. It makes a natural stop on an East Texas history drive. Please remember that this is an active church and be respectful during services.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · Littleton Fowler
- · Samuel A. Williams
Themes & tags
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